Meant To Be Close
by TheLurkingShadowWillow
Summary: A few years can change a person. Raven and Beast Boy went from arguing and insulting, to teasing and light, meaningless flirting. But when a strange visitor comes to the Tower, will their game be curtailed or escalate to a level full of meaning? Rated M for some mature situations. [Any criticism welcomed]
1. The Winter Visitor

**Ch. 1**

**Disclaimer: I would not be writing these stories down if I owned Teen Titans, I would be airing them. I also do not own any other things I mention.**

**—••••••—**

Friends. That was what they were. That was how it would always stay. Not too near. Not too far. A lending hand but not a shoulder to cry on. Even after all those years, they still managed to stay on the balance without it tilting. Each equally still. Neither daring to take a step back or a step forward. It was all okay. Nothing bombarding the order of how things were. Nothing to disrupt the routine. It was in and out. Neither staying a bit longer or keeping their distance shorter.

Each of the five had a good, yet strange, relationship with someone in particular in the group. Nightwing and Starfire were awkward around the other, pathetically flirting from time to time. Cyborg and Beast Boy were practically brothers, getting into quarrels in specific times. And when it was the whole group, everyone would act like a family. Brothers and sisters, and occasionally, closer in more of an intimate way.

But these two were different. Abnormally different. They weren't in the brother/sister category or in the boyfriend/girlfriend category. Sure, they sort of flirted a little. Okay, maybe a lot. But not enough to consider them a couple or appear as if they were harbouring feelings for one another. It was more like respect, a little bit of sexual teasing, and casualness.

They both knew how the other felt so it wasn't that much of a big deal to go around making sexual comments. Those readings were more like jokes. Just for laughs. To have fun. To see who would laugh or to see the other flush in embarrassment. Or maybe to get closer as friends and become more comfortable with one another. Or at least, one of them had wished that.

Beast Boy only wanted for himself to be heard by her. To get his message across. Messages like, '_Smile more_' or '_Loosen up_'. But he was either shot down or too afraid to speak. Because at any moment she wanted, a swivel of a wrist and he could be hurtling down to the pits of Hell. Or have his underwear hauled over his head. Anything that would scare you into a straitjacket, you name it, she could do it.

But on his luckier days, when he would just dangle his arm around her shoulder and press his cheek against hers to see what she was reading, she would only glare and shrug him off. And no matter how close or agitated she sounded, he knew she enjoyed it. Well, in his head he knew that she liked his company. And thinks he's funny. But on the rare days, when he'd settle both his arms on the back of the couch, she'd lay her head on his arm and snuggle into him. Causing the green boy to yelp and flip over the sofa, her smirking triumphantly at the reaction. But she only thought of it as playing. Merely toying with him, as he did with her.

Raven. After all the quantum of years of being impassive and uncaring and uptight, she had to be the one acting like an irresponsible teenager. To be the one teasing and playing and testing. But while she did play a part in her and Beast Boy's flirting game, she only teased him twice or, if he was lucky, four times. Both knew where the lines were drawn, where the border was secured, where the restrictions laid upon.

But of course, they were no longer hormonal teenagers anymore. But men and women in their border line, or early twenties. They each matured in their own way. With Robin's, or Nightwing, hair growing an inch or two and voice dropping an octave. And Starfire transforming into the beautiful woman everyone expected her to be, but still not aware of all the men drooling over her. Beast Boy filling out in most places and voice deepening at a considerable amount. Cyborg's prosthetic parts remaining the same and keeping him from growing, but his face lost its round shape. Raven grew up much more, grabbing a lot more of attention from men now with her developing figure. They were all ageing faster than they wanted.

Some were over the alcohol limit and some were very close to having their first hangover on their birthday. But some have already came home drunk with some random hooker they should've arrested clasped on their arm. But if you were Starfire, who had a stronger hold over her drinking, you would've came home with a male stripper and a parody of the Cheetah Girls after twenty four bottles of alcohol.

But on this particular night, when the air was cold and bitter, and the snow was drizzling from the sky, everything had levelled down from noisy to calm and collective. Except for the sound effects coming from the game station that Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing. Nightwing and Starfire were on the couches by the main automatic door, having a pleasant conversation. And Raven was levitating by the window, not meditating, but overlooking the city in its winter phase. They were all in their special uniforms. The ones that were used for when it was snowing and windy to the point of shivering. But she only wore the black, skintight pants, not the cotton cloak, and her hood down.

"Hey, Raven, are you gonna cheer me on when Cyborg and I reach the final level?" Beast Boy asked, focused on the game but still listening for her.

She lightly scoffed. "After your bad luck streak? I'd root for Cyborg."

That made the metal hybrid laugh out, mocking him. "A-ha ha ha! You just got dissed! Again! Love ya, Rae!"

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled.

"Aw c'mon, don't be like that, Rae-Rae. You know you want me to win. How else are you supposed to give me a victory kiss?"

'_Let the games begin,_' she spoke inwardly.

Raven unfolded from her lotus position and sauntered over to the two boys. She sat down beside the elf-like being and swiftly stroked her finger under his chin, leaning on her elbow, placed on the tip of the couch. An inner growl vibrated from his throat.

"I could do that any day, Beast Boy," she whispered in his ear.

As soon as she retracted her hand, his head followed it, distracting him from the game at hand. His competitive thumbs stopped jabbing the console, causing his avatar to cease all movements.

"Ooh, that sounds nice," he murmured.

"Booyah! Ha ha, take that, green bean! I just kicked yo butt!" Cyborg shot up and danced his victory jig.

Raven grinned maliciously and moved away from him, grabbing her book. Beast Boy snapped back to reality and watched, jaw hanging loose, as the screen presented his loss and his friend's win. He whined and hit his head against the controller.

"Why, Raven?! Why?!"

"Love ya, Rae! And for that, I'm gonna make waffles! Who wants waffles?!"

"No! I want a rematch!" Beast Boy protested.

Raven's small smile crept up, but to an extent. It was always fun to do that. Act sensual towards him, making him loose his focus. She thought he'd learn the game already. But as small as his attention span is, so was his memory capacity.

"I would most love the waffles, please!" Starfire called from her seat.

"Then you get waffles. Raven? Wanna be my autopilot chef?" Cyborg asked, a tall white hat on his head and an apron wrapping his robotic torso.

"No thanks. I have to run down to the bookstore and get something, anyways." She slipped a book under her arm and headed over to the double doors.

"Oh! Does that mean you are going to the mall of shopping?" Starfire asked.

Raven yielded and arched a brow. "Um, no. Maybe tomorrow if I get a chance."

"Glorious!"

The alien then proceeded to swirl in circles in the air until reaching the kitchen island. Raven shook her head and kept walking, looking around once more before letting the entry slide shut. Black magic pulling her hood up, she phased out of the tower, standing on the light layer of snow. The chilly wind flew by and flittered against her cloak, making her clench her sides for warmth.

"This is going to be difficult," she whispered to herself.

But as she took the first step, something cut through her senses. Like an emotion. A weak, distraught sensation lingering by her. She decided to play hot-or-cold to find the source, feeling like a fool swaying in different directions like a drunk. But it didn't take long for her to find a black lump buried under a thin blanket of snow not too far away. Thinking of the worst, she ran towards the heap. And as she became closer and closer, limbs were acknowledged, worrying her more and more.

Instinctually, Raven fidgeted for her communicator and realized that the emotion was dimming. Panic filled her as she contacted the first person that came to mind.

"Raven, report," a stern voice sounded.

"Nightwing. Um, I think we have a little bit of a problem." She studied the figure.

"Where are you located?" He asked, anxiety getting the best of him.

"On the island. Left of the entrance."

"Thanks. Nightwing, out."

Raven closed the yellow device and continued to observe the being splayed out on the ground. Telling from the position and weak signals she had been getting, the thing was unconscious. And was most likely going to die if it stayed on the ground in the cold any longer.

"But how did they reach Titans Island?" She murmured to herself.

The thing wasn't really helpful in appearance. Nor with responding to its surrounding. She didn't dare to touch it because for all she knew, it could be a bomb that starts by motion. And if it was dead, then that would be beyond gross.

"Raven. What's wrong?" Several sets of footsteps came her way.

She turned to look at him and then back at the bump. "I think we should start planning a funeral."

"Why?" Starfire questioned.

Raven simply pointed towards the being and heard as the alien and the others gasped. Cyborg quickly raised his forearm and brought up a heartbeat analyzer, searching for a pulse near the heap. And after a few seconds, one was detected.

"It's a person. And their alive. But barely. If we hurry, we can save them." Said the hybrid.

"Right. Let's get a move on!" Nightwing ordered.

Cyborg shoveled most of the snow off the unknown person and scooped them up in his arm. It seemed that the being was extremely light because the big artificial man picked her up with such ease and simply scurried back into the tower. Starfire and Beast Boy quickly followed him while Nightwing peered over the water and city. Raven noticed this and stood beside him.

"Everything okay?"

He shook his head. "It's just… how did they get all the way over here? There's no ferry and it's almost impossible to swim over here without going into hypothermia or tiring out."

"Maybe they have powers. Maybe they're in trouble and came for help," she suggested in her bland tone.

"Maybe," his eyes squinted behind the mask. "But good job. You just practically saved a life."

He patted her shoulder and turned, jogging away inside the tower. Raven nodded and glanced at the indentation the body had made in the snow. There were small patches of red sunken into the sleet, the woman immediately recognizing it as blood. She hesitated and flew back into the building, tracing behind the others into the infirmary.

Once there, Cyborg had settled the body onto the narrow bed, prodding and probing the body with IVs and tubes. The sensors and grids blinked on and waved with lights and statistics. But while the mechanic hybrid was in the dimly lit room, everyone else was outside by the door, silent and apprehensive.

It was a bit odd that someone would just plop down on the snow just outside the tower. Especially since they didn't know who it was. But as soon as Cyborg reveals the unknown identification of the person, they will know what to do. Nightwing would interrogate and give the person the third degree. Starfire would sit idly by, not knowing how to address the situation from lack of knowledge. Beast Boy would… well, do whatever he would normally do or stand quietly and serious.

Soon enough, the door slid open to make Cyborg's presence known. A grim expression was presented on his face as his eyes darted to Beast Boy suddenly. But then his gaze drifted to Nightwing, trying to decide whether to address the whole team or just him. But noticing the impatient looks everyone wore, he sighed.

"I think y'all better get in here."

**(:::[ ]:::)**

**Salutations, readers! This is the prologue of this story and I just wanted to kind of test the waters of how this will go. The inspiration came from a song I like, "****_Lips of an Angel_****".**

**The wind will sweep me out now until I return. Farewell.**


	2. Infirmary

**Ch. 2**

**Disclaimer: I would not be writing these stories down if I owned Teen Titans, I would be airing them. I also do not own any other things I mention.**

**—••••••—**

"I think y'all better get in here."

His voice and manner were stoical as ever, increasing everyone's anxiety. It felt as if the oxygen level in the little waiting room had dwindled to the likeness of a vacuum. Cyborg stepped aside and motioned for the team to go inside the infirmary. Nightwing gazed at him for several seconds until going in, immediately followed by Starfire. Raven trailed closely behind, noticing that Beast Boy was anxious and impatient. But the green man was delayed by a robotic arm held in front of him.

"I wanna talk to you before you go in there," said Cyborg professionally.

Raven looked at the duo over her shoulder before stepping into the infirmary, wondering what he was talking about. It was hardly ever a good thing whenever he was serious and passive. But as soon as she was out of the threshold, the door sealed itself. A part of her wanted to eavesdrop on the private conversation, but another component told her to leave it alone. It wasn't any of her business.

But something diverted her from her musings. It came from the cot where the remainder of her teammates were crowding. It was a sense of déjà vu and familiarity. As if she had already felt these sensations emitting from the mystery being. To everyone else without empathic abilities, emotions would seem exactly the same, whether it be expressed by the same person or different people. But to Raven, every feeling contrasted from the other, even if they were the same. What made the emotions differ was the subconscious of the being tinged into it. Which is what caused her to feel familiar with the worried and pained waves coming from the person.

"Raven," Nightwing's voice struck her, "I think you should get over here."

The perplexed woman made it to the bed and scrutinised the bandaged person lying there, motionless as before. Something wasn't right. A cryptic sensation strained her chest. And as obscure as the feeling was, she drifted it away. She looked up to the masked man in question.

"Can you, by any chance, find out who this is?" He questioned evenly.

Her brow rose. "Can't we just wait until Cyborg comes in with the identification and reports?"

He exhaled loudly. "Yeah, but what if he doesn't know yet? And if he does, what if he's wrong? Only you can tell for sure," he spoke as a leader.

An unsure expression crossed her face. It was always dangerous to seep into a person's mind. It was intruding in their privacy and so many things can go wrong in so many ways. Like if the person's heart gives out right then and there and she's still in her body, she would perish as well.

"I don't know. We should just wait for him. That matter is outrageously dangerous."

At that moment, Cyborg came inside in a placid manner with Beast Boy in tow, his character being distraught contorted with grief. He slowly settled in a chair and stared at the figure on the bed, as if resisting the desire to pounce on them. The conversation he and the cybernetic man had had was unnerving and unsettling. At first he was baffled as to why Cyborg had pulled him out privately instead of addressing the whole team. But afterwards, he was a bit thankful for it.

Cyborg cleared his throat and gestured to the hidden person on the bed. "So I ran a few tests on 'em to see what the damage was and how I could fix it, and while in the process, I've found out who it is."

He glanced at Beast Boy before continuing. It was painting him to think about it, let alone say it out loud. But what was worse was the tension and harrowing thoughts diving into his green friend's head. But he continued anyways.

"And this might seem like a shock to you guys, but… I think it might be Terra."

Beast Boy's grip on the arms of the chair tightened, almost snapping it. Starfire was the only one to make a sound, gasping with her eyes bold. Nightwing remained impassive as always, but stunned on the inside. Raven's pulse increased and her feelings ranged from astonishment to slight anger, but it wasn't presented on her face. As usual.

"I thought she was in high school. And that she lost her memory," said Nightwing, the first to come out of the daze.

Cyborg took another knowing glance at the green boy. "That's what Beast Boy said. I don't know how or why she came back here, but I was just thinking that we let her stay here for a few days. For testing reasons, obviously."

Starfire squealed immediately. "Yes, oh yes! She must stay here with us! Perhaps she has regained her memories and wishes to be our beloved friend once again," she swirled in the air.

"I hope so, Starfire, I hope so," Beast Boy muttered under his breath, cheeks in his hands as he stared at the tiled floor.

Raven switched her gaze from Cyborg to him as a chain yanked at her heart. The feeling she was sensing was bare but noticeable enough. It wasn't at how entranced he was by the incredulous moment, it was because of how forlorn and apprehensive he appeared to be. He had never shown those mixture of emotions before. When Terra had perished, he was merely grieving and keening, nothing else. Not expecting her to come back, as of now.

"What tests do you have to perform on her?" The leader queried, acknowledging the glances Cyborg was discretely giving Beast Boy.

A sweat dropped down his bald head. "Uh, I just need to, um, make sure there isn't any… brain trauma."

Nightwing remained suspicious of his teammate's unsure motives. But there was no time to devote anymore elaboration on that since other questions needed to be asked and more information needed to be given.

"Fine, then. When are you going to be able to remove the bandages?" He asked indifferently.

"In about a few hours. She won't be awake for another," he peeked at one of the monitors, "day or two, I guess."

Raven peered at her green crestfallen comrade once again. His eyes were bold and practically speaking what went through his mind. Questions about Terra's well being, mental troubles and frustrations resurfacing once more, and of all the struggles he'd gone through just to get over her. Truthfully, she was quite perplexed as to why he wouldn't be running excitedly around the room on all fours. If Terra was to ever come back, she would've believed he would be stoked to the point of collapsing. But that just added to the countless of mysteries to the enigma he already was.

"Okay. I guess we'll just stay here–," Nightwing began but stopped when Cyborg nodded his head in Beast Boy's direction, a silent conversation between the two.

"Oh," he said in realization, "I see. Um, everyone, except for Beast Boy, out."

Starfire instantly protested. "But I wish very much to be here when Terra awakens."

The man shook his head and motioned for his teammates to head out the room. "She won't wake up for another couple of days, Starfire."

Cyborg gave a reassuring grip on his green friend's shoulder before stepping outside with the others. Raven remained in her place, still observing him to get a better read on him. Even if it was obvious to everyone.

"C'mon, Raven," her friends called for her.

Beast Boy finally inclined his head to capture her gaze. The two stared into each other's exotic eyes, their thoughts seeming to braid with the other by mere vision. Raven knew she had to leave but kept having a whim to plant her stature there, try to comfort the troubled being in front of her. But since when had she acted by every one of her impulses?

"Actually," he spoke absently, "I want her to stay for a while. If that's possible."

Cyborg looked between the two, silently digging for something he might have missed, but shrugged calmly. "Okay. See you guys, later, I guess."

The three exited completely out of their vision and all she could do at that moment was stand there, looking at him. But his attention was on the floor. He seemed broken. As if after all these years of suppressing his stress and strife, it was all beginning to tip over. His aura might have feigned indifference, but his world was slowly, and excruciatingly, tumbling right under his feet. Once again, the reason of his downfall was because of the blond woman. She broke his heart even when she was unconscious.

"Thank you for staying," he finally put his vocal cords to use.

"No problem."

His eyes spread to the cot, watching the figure silently breath. His own intakes started to decrease as they slowed to match the woman's. It was as if she was his life force and everything needed to be intact.

"Did you know it was her?" Beast Boy asked, not looking up.

"I–," she hesitated a bit, "sensed some form of familiarity, but I didn't know exactly. And I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that you already knew before us."

He nodded. "Cyborg pulled me out and talked to me. Something about me to try to keep my cool and not go crazily exited."

"Why wouldn't you go insane? You … you still care for her, right? Then you have a right to be happy to see her again," Raven said, unsure of her own words.

His lips formed into a crest while slipping into a daze, as if recalling something. "Yeah … wait, what? Me– feelings– for her?" He said, presenting false derisiveness.

She arched a brow at his unconvincing manner. "Don't you? Or were all of your tears for nothing," she tested.

His face sprung into angry flames as he bounced to his feet. "No! I do care for her! More than you can ever understand, 'Miss No Emotion'!"

Raven didn't recoil or push further, only remained impassive as her theory was confirmed. He still harboured romantic feelings for her. And he was falling hard. Because it seemed that each time he saw her, the same buried feelings would resurface and kindle into a flame. And after every time she left, it would consume him and burn his heart to dust and ashes. Terra controlled him in every way and he was easily letting her. The ventriloquist and her dummy.

Beast Boy immediately processed what he hadn't beforehand and looked apologetic. "Ah geez, Rae, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I'm just so confused right now."

"It's alright. I was just trying to get you to tell the truth."

Despite the uncomfortableness, he rolled into a ball in the seat and buried his head in between his knees, almost soundless weeps emitting from him. He kept inhaling deeply through his black suit, as if it contained a more breathable air other than the one surrounding the both of them. He wasn't crying from the last time he had confronted her and she had rebuffed him, but from the distress all of the situations concerning her was bringing on him. Raven overlapped her legs and sat in lotus position beside his now laconic figure, levitating to meet his level.

She didn't dare touch him from the awareness of the overwhelming moment. There was no use in comforting him when he needed to relieve his body of his pent-up stress and frustrations. Honestly, she had never seen him brake down like this. Sure she had spotted a few drops collide with his cheeks and his chin turn into their drop-off point. But never full-blown like he had now. It had to be of the most harrowing cases for everything inside and around him to cave into his conscious and corrupt him with tears like this. And to him, Terra was one of those derisive scenarios on his list.

"Raven?" His tear-encrusted voice rose from his still crowded form.

"Yeah?" She replied with a bit of remorse strained in her lackluster.

"How … how do you know if you're in love?"

A fluttering sensation tucked her stomach in and her breathing was suddenly made more apparent in her ears. Her already rushing palpitations sped up and it felt as if her heart would implode from strenuous work. But her usually blanched face remained in its proper, or normal, orientation. Why would he ask her that type of question?

"I don't know how to answer that," she spoke peacefully.

His head eventually inclined from its place and his eyes gazed at her weirdly, as if silently branding her as a liar. "Yeah–yeah you have. Remember? 'Cause I do. I'm the one who comforted you."

A blue hollow flame now kicked and spiked in her rushing abdomen as images and clips of a purple and black dragon manifested in her mind. But that's not the being that she had grown an affection for. Every time those flashes of pictures slashed at her bleakest moments, she had tried to replace it with the so-called endearing wizard. But who was to know that's how the sorcerer really was. It could've been portrayed that way in the book. If it was love she felt then, then it was all a deceiving lie.

"That wasn't … real." Raven was easily turning flustered and was becoming stuck in her own sentences.

He kept urging the topic.

"Of course it was! You locked yourself in your room more than usual. And you laughed! I couldn't even do that, so it has to be love that you felt for … him," he hesitated with what to call the devious dragon.

She exhaled tentatively. "Even though it wasn't real," she put emphasis on the word, "I did feel … things."

"I knew it!" His voice rose in his unnecessary success.

She quirked a brow and he blushed, looking down and gesturing for her to resume.

She nodded. "I felt safe, maybe. Happy that I wasn't alone and that someone's perspective matched mine."

Raven paused, until continuing absentmindedly. "He … called me beautiful."

A remorseful feeling flushed in him at seeing her sorrowful daze, even if it was only hinted.

"I'm sorry, Rae. But hey! That's another thing we have in common," he labeled a feigned smile on his lips.

She looked at him, baffled at what complete opposites had in common. "Like what?"

"We were both betrayed by a person we had feelings for. And they're in the same location, too."

"You're saying it as if it's a good thing. But I guess you're right."

The smile morphed into an actual felt one. "It is a good thing! Sorta. It strengthens our friendship."

She waved her hand at him. "Yeah, yeah. But back to the topic beforehand, why'd you ask me that question? Couldn't you have asked Nightwing or Starfire? They're love is chocking their throats the more they suppress it."

The green young man tapped his fingers on his kneecaps nervously. "I don't know. I just wanted to know. Besides, those two have never been through what I have. Only you," he glanced at the person on the bed as if he was talking to her.

"Oh. So, you're unsure of your feelings for … Terra?"

His chin hitched deeper into the fault between his knees, making his eyes only visible. "I don't know."

The duo stayed silent afterwards, exchanging a few concerned expressions when the other wasn't paying attention. To avoid the slightly unnerving setting they created with their previous conversation, they used the lying mummy-like person found in the snow as a distraction. Eventually, the cloaked girl fell asleep on her hand as her elbow was propped on Beast Boy's armchair. Her head lightly nudged his arm, the grieving pain in his chest vanishing marginally at that.

He chained his arm around her shoulders, retracting her to him a little more, but not as much as her to wake up and have her murder him. She muttered sleepily into the chair from the movement, causing him to snort and retain a laugh. An idea soon washed his mind in illogical thought and he immediately acted upon the whim.

Standing up slowly and watching her head, he picked her up from her floating position and settled her into the chair. He established her in a comfortable, or so he thought, display and morphed into a small cat. Crawling up her dangling legs, the green feline mammal circled in place before situating on her lap, taking a literal "_cat nap_" against her bare thighs. But before he could actually sleep, a low knock transferred through the door and Cyborg's head popped out.

Once he saw the little scene, he smirked like a madman and pulled out a camera from inside of his body's many compartments. Beast Boy's cat eyes bloomed and he instantly jumped at the dark man's face, scratching him wherever his claws could reach.

"Agh! Cut it out!"

Raven snapped her head up and instinctually phased into the floor to avoid any possible intruders.

**—••••••—**

_Next day_:

The following bitter sunrise was quite different than the catastrophic day before. It was calm and placid. And even though the temporary emergency of a being possibly dying was still fresh in the air, it was as if nothing had occurred. The cold was apparent again, more so in the morning, and everyone was dressed in their uniforms that were specially crafted for the winter.

And although Beast Boy mostly spent the rest of the night before residing a few feet from Terra, he had planned to visit her again. But currently, he was sitting on a stool by the kitchen island, flooding his mouth with tofu eggs. Cyborg was eating on the other side of the table, doing both of them a favor by not grossing each other out by what their preferred delicacies were. Nightwing was channeling through the television options nonchalantly while occasionally glancing at Starfire fiddling with Silkie's legs playfully.

The missing Titan floated through the automatic doors, trailing over to the kitchen where her typical breakfast laid. The tea kettle was still simmering with steam and signaled for her to notice it, a mug waiting beside it. After pouring some for her, she glanced inside the fridge and retrieved a single red apple. Sitting by one of the wide sides of the island, she altered her vision to the dazed green young man, unusually laconic once again.

"So, Beast Boy, going back to the infirmary today?" She questioned.

Cyborg chuckled as he remembered the display he had walked in on the night before. Beast Boy glared at him and then turned back to his pale friend.

"Yes." An idea blossoming in his head.

"That is, unless you were thinking about making plans with me," he cocked his lips to the side in a suggestive half-smile.

"You guys and your games," Cyborg shook his head, a small grin branded on his face.

Raven sent him a pointed look. "Don't get any ideas, Cyborg. It's just meaningless teasing."

"Yeah!" Beast Boy avidly backed her up even though his voice faltered from the hammer than banged his chest.

The other two noted that but one of them decided to use it to his advantage instead.

"You okay, B.? Don't you think it's meaningless?" His salacious grin blooming.

He growled inwardly. Not only was his best friend accusing him of liking Raven, but he cornered him into a trap. Either answer led him down into a deep ditch. If he said '_yes_', she wouldn't talk to him for a week, he guessed. '_No_' would be like saying she wasn't good enough for him. Even his teasing. And that, beyond all means, was not true. She was a beautiful woman, in a way like Starfire. She was funny at times and impressively smart. But he didn't like her as more than a friend. Right?

"Uh," he began but was cut off by the object of his musings.

"Of course it means nothing! Don't be ridiculous, Cyborg."

He breathed out in relief. She saved him from any trouble, even if it was her that would result in inner pain.

The robotic hybrid grumbled in vexation and dumped his dishes in the sink, beginning the topple that usually became of the stacked plates. He leaped over to the couch and landed like a bomb, making the occupants tremble a bit.

Raven turned to him. "Do you want me to go with you?"

He smiled and nodded vigorously, rising and walking to settle his own plate on top of the others. "I'm going in, like, thirty minutes, or so. You sure you wanna go? I mean, it'll be kinda boring since all I'm gonna do is sit there and stare."

A mischievous thoughts appeared and she was going to follow it. "At me or Terra?"

A grin broke out on his lips again. "Ah, I'm never gonna get tired of this."

"Of what?" She asked.

"This," he waved his hands in a circle, "our family. All of us run in this unintentional little routine. We have our little flirting game, Nightwing and Starfire always talk in a corner, and Cyborg's the little loner all by himself playing video games. That is, until he gets the prosthetic guts to ask out Bumble Bee."

Raven looked down and chuckled lowly. Beast Boy realized this and his eyes turned bold. He jumped in his chair and made a small celebratory dance of his own.

"I made you laugh! Woohoo! Finally, victory is mine!" He jabbed his fists in the air.

The smile deflated from her face as she saw the scene and swiveled her eyes at him. The others took notice and grinned.

"Congratulations! Now see if you can get a kiss from her!" Cyborg chucked the joke at him, making Nightwing and Starfire laugh.

The green boy squinted his eyes at the robotic man and settled down in the chair once again while Raven flushed red. He shouldn't have messed with him since they both had blackmail on the other.

"I could tell you the same thing about Bumble Bee!" He retaliated.

"What?! I do not like her!" He fumed red in embarrassment as he shot up and rotated in his direction.

"Well, then stop saying those kind of things about Raven and I!" Beast Boy countered back aggressively.

Raven sighed as she perched her head on her palm. The two men started to argue and spit out harangues and teasing remarks like it was World War III. But a flying alien soon stepped in between the duo's foolish quarrel. She attempted to cool them off in her gentle and high tone, but was drowned out by all of the yelling. Nightwing huffed in vexation and launched the remote control at Cyborg's bald head, making him a part of the fight as well. Beast Boy laughed at the sight of his metal friend getting socked by the same technology he was made of. How was Terra sleeping with this racket?

**—••••••—**

**Salutations, readers. The second chapter is up and a bit more lengthy than the introduction. This is how I'm going to try to make me future chapters look like. Well, review and all.**

******Thanks to all the people that reviewed and favorited and followed this story. The first chapter wasn't that interesting, I know, but trust me, things will get better. Bare with me.**

**The wind will sweep me out now until I return. Farewell.**


	3. Dogs and Fire Hydrants

**Ch. 3**

**Disclaimer: I would not be writing these stories down if I owned Teen Titans, I would be airing them. I also do not own any other things I mention.**

**—••••••—**

Raven and Beast Boy sat in silence as they stared at the person on the cot in front of them. The room was still as dim and dark as ever. The air was suffocatingly silent and that eerie ring surrounded their ears from the inside-out. It was still a bit hard to believe that after all of those wretched, harrowing, and frustrating years, the cause of the literal turmoil and turbulence under the ground they stand on was back from "the dead". No matter how many times they thought through it thoroughly, it made no sense to as how she came about. Even after she had rebuffed the green man of remembering any memories about the Titans. And to add to the mess of enigmas, why did she come to them if she had no hint of the part of her past that contained them?

"I mean, it's good and all to have her back, exuberant even, but it all doesn't add up correctly," he suddenly spoke.

"I know," she replied in her usual lackluster.

"Like she had been lying the whole time. Like she kept deceiving us every time we saw or met up with her."

She snorted. "Like I don't know how that feels," her character emitting sarcasm.

"Another thing we have in common, sweet cheeks," he smiled mischievously.

She blushed. "Will you cut that out already?"

He appeared surprised— key word: appeared.

"What? Getting tired of our game already, sunshine?" He kept on.

"No," she growled. "I meant the 'in common' thing."

His grin watered down into a frown. "Oh, why? You don't like me?"

A pool of guilt clenched her insides. "No. I … do like you."

His lips formed into a smile again as she soon realized he had been acting, and she fell for his little teasing trick. The flirting game was fun at times when the teasing was reciprocated, but it was not humorous when it was one-sided and planned as a prank. Well, to the victim it wasn't funny.

"You little–"

"Hunk?" He offered, eyebrows raised in amusement.

She huffed, erecting her knees up to her chest and faced away from him, head on her overlapped arms. But soon a salacious orb of thoughts revolved in her mind, letting her use them to get him back. It was simple. A seductive little plan that would send him rotating around the stars, face the color of the sun. Even though it would cross over one of their boundaries, but to an extent, what damage could it do?

Soon enough, Beast Boy had noticed she wasn't looking at him anymore, but at the monitors and sensors blinking on the wall. But after all the years of mastering the skill of how to pester her to insanity, he knew very well that she wasn't paying attention to the statistics and reports. She was ignoring him.

"Hey, R-a-aven," he stretched her name out in a singsong tune.

She glanced at him through her peripheral vision and almost gave up the act. Sometimes, it was just a bit difficult to resist the face he slapped on. On other times, it was difficult to resist slapping him in the face, period. But now she was on both sides of the balance as she tried to flatten out the surface, retaining a smile and an enflamed hand to his perfectly unharmed cheek.

"Rae?"

Beast Boy was genuinely questioning whether or not she was pretending or being serious. There were countless of times when he thought that she was serious but was actually playing around, or vice versa. And every time he pried in the past, it always ended up with the same outcome and same harmful physical contact. Or mental harm like telepathically sending images into his head that would scar him for life, leaving him to cradle his chest in a white corner with strained eyes and mouth twitching in rapid succession.

"Raven."

In lightning speed, she was gazing into his eyes with her arm slung around his neck and a finger tracing his chin, almost seductively. Even though the action itself stunned him into next week, the fact that she was sitting on his lap with her legs overlapped sent him into crazed static. A teasing glint in her eyes that ceased him into a shocked trance.

"Yes, Beast Boy?" She addressed him, her tone matching her exotic eyes.

"Uh– I– duh, I just wanted to–to see if you were mad at me," he said in a crack.

A low snigger in her voice processed through his edged ears and red stripped his cheeks, feeling a bit flustered with her sitting on him. It was very unlikely that she would go as far as to seduce him like how she was doing now. Sure the day before she had somewhat done that but now she was being provocative— touching him.

"Now why would I be mad at you?"

Brushing her nose against his faintly, she stood up from his lap and sat back down on thin air beside him. A lengthy, noiseless period bounded between them after Raven's little show— most likely due to Beast Boy's long-term shock. For the woman herself, a confident aura encircled her, pleased with the work she had done. Normally, she would always lie on a bed full of wishes for him to shut up, but now, not only did she achieve that, she did it without verbal force.

His face was still burning— pleased yet slightly disturbed —as he turned his head to the side and looked at her.

"What was that?" He whispered, shaking under his own strength.

'_The tables have turned,_' she mused inwardly.

The day was beginning to phase into its negative again— night. The city was getting quiet, cars were settling on pathways, shops were closing up, and people were ending their daily routines. All except for one of the few that lived in a giant alphabet letter structure. Sitting with one leg against his chest and the other stretched outward, Beast Boy tried counting the number of waves in the ocean— with the little daylight that was left. Even though that was what he tried to keep himself occupied with, other topics were channeling through his mind.

'_Girls are so complicated. They always toy and deceive you._'

The sun dug deeper into the bay and sucked in a bit more light away. His green skin had an orange glow tinted into it. Cyborg would've said he looked like a poorly decorated pumpkin with green spray paint. And Raven would've told him that she'd be able to "clean it up" for him if he wanted.

Raven: the woman belonging to witchcraft and sorcery. The one that smacked him with sarcastic and dull harangues— well, used to. Now all she did was sit on his lap like a girl telling Santa Claus what she wanted for Christmas— but more seductive. It impressed him to no edge that she was presenting such acts and feelings so freely— well, just a bit less controlled. It had never dawned on him before, but she had resembled quite a lot of emotions without lights busting or table tops crunching under its own weight. Especially when reacting towards him. Before all of this, she was labeled as the dry, soulless demon hybrid. It used to be that getting at least one emotion from her would be like getting blood out of stone. Nowadays, all you had to do was say 'hi' and just like one of her trademark cheap shots, she would dash to you with her heart on her sleeve.

'_Well, at least to me._'

Even if everyone else was oblivious to it, it was the most apparent kind of scene— and Beast Boy had picked up on it. Why hadn't Raven just played the flirting game with Nightwing? Or Cyborg?

'_Yuck! That's gross. Besides, Starfire practically claimed Nightwing._'

No, but there was something about him that made her want to indulge in the mindless, playful game they had created over time. Like if he was her test dummy and she was trying out her emotional existences and boundaries on him. And when she'd reach an emotional overload, retracting would seem like the top pick from the small list of options— and he'd know. There were numerous of times when she wouldn't respond to his teasing and flirting for a whole day. Though the cause of it wasn't really pinpointed just yet or clear.

"Whoa. This is making a disturbing amount of sense," he mused.

He clamped his palms on his edged ears and recoiled his knees up to his elbows. The air was becoming almost unbearable as the night kept unfolding. Deciding to keep from going through hypothermia, his legs erected until he was standing on his feet, walking off the roof and down the grey stairwell.

Sometimes, the green boy would just wish to be normal. To not have to go through things like this— not know that people he did. Not because he didn't like them— he did truly loved them —but because of the trouble that they bring along with their great presence. For instance, Nightwing is a cool guy: serious when he has to be, makes funny quips where they're appropriate, and is always a good ear when needed. But there is one default: his irritably compulsive and obsessive side that blocks out everything but the object focused on.

And at other times, he'd wish that he had never been changed into what he was. Not green, or have fangs, or not have the ability to change into anything in the animal kingdom. Like one of those days where he wished he could restore himself to the factory settings. Back to his childhood when everything was normal and okay. Except that it would stay like that forever, but at the same time, he wouldn't want his life to be any other way.

Once in the common room, Beast Boy observed the layout in search of any of his friends. Nightwing was on the couch, in the middle of a video game duel with Cyborg. Starfire was nowhere to be found, and Raven was probably in the infirmary where he left her or her room.

'_Strange._'

Suddenly, the room flashed in red and the alarm siren rang. The window displaying the video game blinked into a map with a circle badge on a location. Nightwing bounced to his feet and typed on the computer by the window. By now, the two missing female comrades were in the room and everyone was aware and awaiting the details.

"Well?" Beast Boy asked.

"Unknown criminal," he said, eyes stuck on the screen. "They're causing disruption in the city."

"T-Car?" Cyborg offered.

"Yes," Nightwing confirmed. "Let's head out!"

The group flooded into the car knowing where their destination was but not knowing who they were dealing with. They probably weren't that bad of a threat if they were unidentified in the best computer in Jump City. It was doubtful that this was some lethal villain with a vengeance, referring to the less dangerous life the city was currently undergoing.

Once they arrived at the scene, screams and shrieks shook about the streets and buildings. Women were barreling their baby carriages down the sidewalk to safety, road pavement was being cut and sliced, and other pedestrians were stumbling over their own feet. Planted in the heart of it all was a figure unfazed by the whole situation, giving it that they were the cause.

"Okay, Titans, we have an unknown criminal in the perimeter. We don't know what they can do so be careful. Head out."

At Nightwing's command, the team split into their own designed coordinations. The masked hero expertly dashed into the criminal's range and observed from the back of them.

"Need some directions?" He countered with his usual one-liners.

The figure rotated their posture and was now facing him. It was a woman, but it seemed as if she wasn't the one causing all of this destruction. She wasn't wearing the stereotypical uniform material all villains wore, but a red hoodie, white turtleneck, black pants, black boots, and a white bandana over her head. She looked more of an innocent civilian than a dangerous fiend. Except for the fact that there was a white and red taser in her grasp.

"Do they lead to a bank?" She countered.

"The only place you'll be led to is jail."

"Ooh, is that a threat?" A grin crested her lips.

"No," he got into a fighting position. "It's a guarantee."

The bun of her dark brown hair shook as she swiftly made it by his side, smirk still tinged on her lips. "Ooh, feisty. I like you."

Then she was gone, running across the street with her weapon in hand, passing by the rest of the team. Raven forged a black wall in front of the woman to disable her from running away. The smile never left the woman's face as the Titans were closing in on her. Nightwing prepared for the fight that would most likely ensue, and the lethal taser, as she turned towards them. The area was mostly cleaned out of bystanders and people by then, leaving it a bit safer for something bad to happen.

"So, you're the Titans, huh?" She asked.

Nightwing squinted his eyes at her as she continued. "Let me see if I'm right. Raven, Nightwing, Beast Boy, Starfire, and … Cyborg?"

"It seems like you know a lot about us, but we don't know anything about you," the leader countered.

A chuckle sounded from her. "They call me Red. Just Red."

Beast Boy arched a brow and smiled. "Red? Like the colour? Ha!"

Raven turned to him and felt the urge to slap him across his amused face. And Cyborg felt the same way, looking at his disapproving glare.

"Amused, I see," she said, still smiling. "Let's see if you're still laughing when you're fidgeting on the ground."

Flipping her taser in her hand, Red struck a string of electricity in Beast Boy's direction, electrifying him. He collapsed under his feet and cried in anguish from the high voltage. In rapid succession, Red fired it at the second weakest target, in the current situation, Cyborg. Then at Starfire, Nightwing, and Raven. The criminal admired her work, observing the withering group a few yards away.

"Like fish out of water," Red spoke to herself. "Well, off I go, guppies."

Raising her one empty hand, a white astral platform manifested like static beneath her. She turned and started running in the direction she was heading, a new square ground popping under each footstep and the last fading.

**—••••••—**

He massaged the soar spot near his stomach where the cordless taser had punctured him. It was weird that there weren't any wires that stunned him, just plain electricity striking out of the weapon. Either way, it hurt like crazy. Everyone but him hadn't passed out from the contact. Probably because the criminal held her attack on him a bit longer than the others she performed.

Beast Boy was lying on one of the cots in the infirmary, a curtain separating his view from Terra. The young man turned his stare to the dull and faint shadow of the form yards away from him. It was taking a while for her to heal and wake up. What if she had woken up? What if she had somehow disconnected the IVs from her body and was slowly dying?

But it's not like he'd know, if anyone knew. No one had come in to the dim room, except for Cyborg since he was the one in charge of the machines. Other than that, his teammates hadn't visited. Not Starfire, not Nightwing. Even Raven. Again, it's not like he'd know, he had just woken up five minutes ago.

Beast Boy clenched the suction cups and yanked them off his body two at a time. He flipped the blanket beside his form and sat up, looking around once more to make sure that no one was there to witness him. There wasn't. The green boy proceeded to stand up with no difficulty and walked towards the object of his thoughts. Raking the curtain aside, he stared at the covered woman in front of him. The cords were connected to her— she was still sleeping —and all the statistics showed nothing out of the ordinary.

His fists balled up as he sat down on the chair he usually rested at when watching her. The expression on his face represented heartbreak and long-term grief that had resided in him time and time ago. His insides turned to black static as doubtful thoughts cornered his mind. It was as if the weight of his own mind was causing himself to tumble inwardly. Just thinking about her was practically lethal to his mental state.

All he wanted to do was be with her, hear her voice again. Maybe catch up and see how she had been going along her life, but from how things were going, it seemed as if that day would never come.

'_Why won't she wake up?_' He whimpered inwardly.

**—••••••—**

There it was again— that nagging at the edge of her subconscious. That hollow, harrowing sensation that kept slicing through her mental radars. Her empathic senses were communicating with her, it seemed. Someone was distressed, on a higher level that's not considered normal. Whatever it was was the reason her daily reflection was perturbed. She was sitting on thin air in front of the large windows in the common room, peaceful and absent to her surroundings. All except for that weeping ball of emotional presence in her mind— and it was definitely not hers.

'_Beast Boy?_' She suggested to herself.

Raven shook her head. '_No. He's supposed to be asleep._'

Contemplating over the matter a bit further convinced her that he was indeed awake and conscious. If he wasn't, then these feelings wouldn't be projected— just yet. She stood from her suspended position in the air and headed to the infirmary where her green comrade was. On any normal day, she would've assumed he was still asleep and the strange feelings were from the others, but today wasn't a normal day. A criminal created havoc and stunned a teammate to unconsciousness, and a supposedly "powerless" former member was stationed in the infirmary. The same place where Beast Boy was— and that was dangerous, referring to the history the two had mended.

Soon enough, Raven arrived at the dark room, glancing at the bed where they had left him— empty.

'_I need to trust my instincts more often._'

Turning to the open disheveled curtains, she spotted the woman on the cot, still covered. And then there was the man on the chair. His hand propped up the side of his face as his eyes stared straight ahead, half closed, as if about to close at any second. It was quite a sight.

"… Beast Boy?" She called after a moment of gazing.

His eyes opened a bit more as his stare directed towards her, then back at Terra's body. It appeared to be that she was going to have to do the talking. Raven levitated over to him and positioned herself in her usual spot next to him. She let silence encompass the room for a while until having found the words to say.

"I know that you really want her to wake up, but you have to give it time," she started.

Not even a grunt.

"I checked how she was doing while you were passed out. Mentally, I mean."

That dragged a reaction from him. He inclined his head from its previous position and stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"She's going to be okay," Raven reassured with a light pat on his back. "Whenever her body decides to regenerate."

Beast Boy slumped back down, his face looking more of grief than before. Raven slid her hand up and down his vertebrae continuously— comfortingly. It slightly pained her to see him so bent over for a girl that was missing for less than five years.

"Some days you're the dog, some days you're the fire hydrant," she quoted.

**—••••••—**

**Salutations, readers. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. School got pretty hectic and I am now taking art classes on Saturdays. I've had this chapter for a while but I just finished it. Review!**

**The wind will sweep me out now until I return. Farewell.**


	4. Bringing her Back

**Ch. 4**

**Disclaimer: I would not be writing these stories down if I owned Teen Titans, I would be airing them. I also do not own any other things I mention.**

**—••••••—**

It was the closest he had ever felt to the rippling sensations known as anticipation and apprehension. His thoughts were channeling through his mind and crowding the little space like never before. His anxiety was eating at him little by little after every passing hour and day. Basically, the only companionship he had had was from Raven. His other comrades were busy doing their own business. Or in Nightwing's case, tracking down the new criminal in town, known as Red, and receiving some intel on her.

It wasn't that they didn't care for him, because they did care, it was because they believed he needed some time alone from all of the stress he was under. Raven, on the other hand, disagreed and wanted to calm him down and comfort him with light conversation that had no ties to the body on the bed. Beast Boy did enjoy those small talks, though. He didn't want to be alone while waiting for Terra. So he was thankful that Raven would stay with him at times; even when he wouldn't respond to her when she spoke to him. Maybe she understood why he wouldn't speak; but she hadn't gone through a 'resurrection' of a former love interest. Maybe she was just trying to get him to lighten up, no matter how uncharacteristic it was for her. Even so, who was to know why she was being so helpful?

Unknown to her, he was listening in on the conversation they were having now. It was the different atmosphere that the topic brought onto them— an intriguing and curious feeling in the air. He was now more interested and aware, responding with short nods— something he hadn't done the past two days.

"It's just a bit hard to imagine myself bending over backwards for someone out of love. Never have I ever done that— it's precisely alien," she says.

"But how would I know? I've never been in that situation before."

Beast Boy gazed down with pursed lips. He liked that she was opening up, but the stress of Terra was chomping over those acknowledgements— to an extent.

"You would know, though. Since you've been out of character for the past week, no offence," she glanced at him.

His throat cracked as he pushed his vocals to use. "None taken."

She looked at him for a few seconds then back forward. There were days like these when she'd wish that he'd cut the crap and go back to being his usual self. Now he was acting like a hermit crab— reclusive and constantly in a shell. And it was excessively getting more and more difficult to read him each passing day. It was like she couldn't even tell if he was feeling anything at all. As if he was as hollow as the empty cardboard box he was trying so hard to be.

"How do you feel right now?— waiting for Terra," she asked after an interval of silence.

He raised a brow as he peered at her from the side. "What do you mean?"

Raven exhaled audibly, "I mean, what are you feeling right now while waiting for her to wake up? You seem … emotionless, almost."

His shoulders deflated as he sighed loudly, eyes drooping. The tough act was up and it was time to spill. If he were to truly open up to someone, who would be better rather than Raven?

"I feel … distressed and deceived … and confused. Like, a couple of years ago she took my breath away, but I now realize that I was just suffocating from all the bull crap." He stared down at his shoes.

Raven stared at him as if he just grew a third eyeball. Had he said what she heard him say? 'Suffocating'? 'Realizing'? All in a sentence to describe what he was feeling towards Terra.

"What?" She questioned.

"You heard right," he says with a small smile, "but it doesn't mean I hate her. I still … have some feelings for her, that much is true, but I feel cheated. Lied to."

He paused.

"I just want her to talk to me. To help me figure out these missing links that created this. To maybe, just maybe, finally make this … right."

She nodded. It was all making sense now, with him moping around the tower like a sulking widower. She knew it all along, but she just needed that last hit of finality. That last smack in the face that assured the vibe she was getting off him. Not only was he confused and hurting, but he was still in love with her. Through all the internal conflict and turbulent thoughts that she caused his mind to undergo, his feelings remained true and patented in him. It seemed to be irreversible and invincible to fight back. Almost like an infected tattoo on his upper chest that was slowly caving. After all, enough grief and sorrow can kill a person.

"You never really stopped loving her, didn't you?"

It wasn't really a necessary question. For she knew the answer already. Even so, she needed for him to admit it and stop beating himself up by denying it.

Beast Boy looked up at her with a character full of eccentric disarray and mental transparency. Now that he let go, she could see what he was feeling. Not feel his emotions like the empath she was, but see them— written on his eyes and branded on his face.

"I … don't think … excuse me," he said, standing with his hands in his hair.

Raven didn't stop him when he ran over his sentence. And she didn't stop him when he bounced to his feet and passed the doorway. Either he wasn't sure, or he didn't want to admit it. Maybe he thought she would yell at him about how stupid he was for still caring about the girl that trashed his life.

'_But I wouldn't have. It is stupid, but I wouldn't have yelled at him— considering his fragile state of mind._'

Now left alone by the only person left that would stop her, Raven uncrossed her legs and stepped on the ground she was floating above. Her impassive eyes surfed the room until landing on the occupied cot a few yards away from her. It was an idea worth scolding— especially from Beast Boy and Nightwing. She might even get herself on suspension or probation if either found out. Not because it was a bad thing to do, but because it was dangerous and uncalled for. And she was still willing to take that risk. Besides, it was for a good cause.

'_There is nothing wrong with helping a friend._'

Raven was now beside the bed and looking down upon the wrapped figure. Steady movement was recorded around her abdomen; she was breathing. The only sign of the person being a female were the form of breasts under the cloth and the blond strands of hair that were left uncovered coming from her head.

It was simply taking too long for the woman to wake up. And the day that Beast Boy would have a nervous breakdown wasn't too far away. So basically, performing the task would help the woman act again and prevent a friend from taking a trip to the nearest insane asylum.

"This is not only for your own good, but for the rest of us," she spoke to the sleeping Terra.

Closing her eyes and focusing on her inner self, Raven tapped into her powers and projected a spirit from her being. A manifestation that looked just like her— just the outline and shape — entered Terra's body. Raven's own figure unconsciously sat down in mid air and navigated the task from within.

**—••••••—**

The sound of beeps and uncoordinated computer noises blurred into her senses. Awareness and feeling prodded into her mind as her five senses tracked into place once again. A few locations on her body communicated with her, feeling uncomfortable and uneasy. And to add to it all, a migraine had taken over her head.

Soon enough, a black orb came into her line of vision. And it seemed as if it was emitting from her forehead. Panic immediately seized through her. It was all confusing her— the pain, the discomfort, the "ghost" —and the headache barrelled harder. And it made it hard to see her surroundings. It was almost like a white blanket was draped over her line of vision. As if she was shrouded in a cloth, but that was impossible. The last thing she saw was her own body toppling down into the snow and her senses passing into black static. Unless, she was dead or in a casket at a funeral home. Who brought her? Who carried her away from the ridiculously cold weather outside into a warm microwave oven?

'_Ugh. No … more thinking,_' she groaned inwardly.

Now able to see properly, the black orb dropped to the floor in a mist and stayed that way for a while. The slow action made Terra's stomach drop ten degrees below zero and her heart shiver up to her throat. It wasn't everyday that you saw a ghost come from your own body and stand in front of you. The object of her fright suddenly moved and swam around in the air, as if trying to locate something. The manifestation soon stilled and flew in a specific direction in the shadows. Terra gulped. That was never a good sign.

Low grunting and rustling sounded from the especially dim corner and the colour of the blond's face seemed to match the bedding beneath her. "It was successful, I see," a voice said.

A very familiar, intimidating voice.

"Who's there?" She asked warily, yet with a bit of authority.

Raven arched a brow, a bit baffled that Terra didn't know who she was. "You don't remember me?"

Terra's eyes darted to every corner of the dim room, searching for the source of the voice that seemed to be everywhere. "I don't know, should I?"

Then she saw it, the most ghostlike and otherworldly eyes. They resembled a vague memory that rested behind her mind, a memory of a person. The outline of a face stood out from the darkness and she was beginning to get a feeling that this person was not on good terms. Personality-wise. Or maybe the person didn't want to let her see their face. There were a lot of 'maybe's and unanswered questions. Her memory wasn't that clear, but they did pervade bits of knowledge in her mind time to time.

"Maybe," Raven said. "It depends on what you remember."

She was getting frustrated with all of the riddles this mysterious person was giving her. "Remember what?"

"How did you reach this … place?" Raven questioned.

Terra looked down at the fabric of the white blankets and thought for a moment before answering. The only clips of past memory she acknowledged was of her traveling towards a giant grey building mostly made of glass. There was something in the back of her head that scram out 'pivotal' about that tower.

"I–I … all I remember is coming to a big, grey tower, then passing out. Where am I?" She asked with hesitation.

Raven thought over the answer and weighed her options. Either she tell her where she is or just keep stalling until one of the others come in. The latter seemed like a very compelling choice, but then what would be the purpose of her bringing Terra back if she wasn't going to talk to her? Maybe she really should've talked to Nightwing about this first. She clearly didn't have that many good skills on making decisions.

Turning to the blond, she speaks. "You're in Titans Tower, the building you were headed to before passing out."

"Oh, you brought me here?"

"Well, if you're asking if I saved you from freezing to death, then yes, but if you're asking how you got to the tower, that's actually what we want to know," Raven answered.

"We?"

Raven finally stepped forward from the shadows for the woman to see. The rest of the team wasn't there, but maybe revealing herself might trigger a sense of familiarity in Terra. And that might get rid of the confusion while she connects the rest by herself and realizes a team lives in the tower. Maybe it won't.

Terra was relieved that the person in the dark finally came into view, but she immediately wanted them to go back from fear. Having a suspicious, unknown stranger in the same room as you didn't always instil a comforting feeling in you. Especially when they were wearing a robe with a hood that hid half of their face. The only thing truly standing out, the only thing that was unlike anything she had ever seen, was the absence of feet beneath the person. It was as if they were floating. Her breath became tinged with chills, creating a cold feeling fill her abdomen and throat. It was fear and anxiety, no doubt.

"Who–who are you?" She spoke with a shudder in her voice.

At that moment, a bit of Beast Boy's personality popped into her head, because she had an urge to respond with the cheesiest line: 'you're worst nightmare.' As if that was going to happen.

"You don't recognize me?"

Terra's eyes remained on the bare ground where Raven's feet should've been. "And where the hell are your damn feet?!"

Raven glanced down at where the blond was staring and had a theory. This Terra wasn't familiar with superhuman abilities, and it frightened her. She placed her feet on the tiled floor and watched as Terra slightly looked less panicked. Slightly.

"Sorry."

"Can you just please get someone in here that actually seems human?" She asked rudely, her voice still tremulous.

Raven didn't even blink at her, even if that was pretty hurtful. She didn't blame her, though. She would've been pretty upset if she was left with amnesia in an unfamiliar place, but if she wanted human then Beast Boy wouldn't be the best choice. Nightwing would, for sure.

"Fine, anything else you need?"

Terra shook her head, eyes squinting in agitation. "No."

Raven left the room without another motion or word towards her. If that's how she wanted to act to the person who just saved her life, so be it. It wasn't worth her time to stand there and be insulted and take it, even if the insult was hidden in between the lines of Terra's words. Who was she to care about what she thought people said about her? There was no need to stoop down low to that pathetic level, not again. Having people whisper or curse at her behind her back was something she was used to already, being a disgrace to most churches and all. It was that and the fact that she was different, going against the 'stereotypical girl rule' and being a bit of a recluse as well.

The unacknowledged ring in her ears suddenly grew internally, becoming known now. It seemed to bounce off the hallway walls and back into her head, amplifying the sound even more. The corridor she was walking in seemed to never end since there was a shadow constantly in front of her. And all of these little things her mind registered just fogged up the gears in her head. A migraine began to form on one half of her head as she even became a bit breathless and her inhales were heard inside of her head, as if her own ears were breathing. Why was she getting a headache? It wasn't like she wasn't getting enough sleep. Maybe it was the little task she performed to bring the blond back from the dead.

'_She hurts everyone, regardless of how she feels about them._'

In the time length of a hair, her eyes became twenty pounds heavier and were pulling down. The drilling in her head increased as if her skull was cracking like an egg, and the fact that a wave of fatigue suddenly hit her as well wasn't helping. And to add to the mess of complaints, nausea and dizziness made her stagger while floating on air.

'_Jeez, it's like I'm falling apart._'

"Raven? You alright?"

Her crossed eyes tried to settle on one figure out of the many identical ones as the source of the voice addressed her. Blue, black, and pale skin; all familiar colors of the person she was previously searching for.

"Nightwing," she mumbled.

Nightwing noticed her lazy position against the wall and immediately knew something was up. Raven tried to push herself up from the wall but only managed to awkwardly slink down on her side— any other movement and her head would go pivoting to the ground under her.

"Yeah?" He asked, arms awaiting to catch her at any second.

"I–I need you to, um," she swallows while shutting her eyes tightly, "I need you to go to Terra and help her."

"What do you mean?"

Her teeth chained together as she struggled to regain control of her body structure. Now was not the time for her to pass out, even if the person in need was a total bi–

"Raven? What's wrong?" Nightwing asked again, more concern in his tone.

Raven shook her head away from the previous thoughts. "Terra's awake, dammit!"

Nightwing's face changed to surprise and she finally fell back on her spine with a sharp exhale and groan. He located his hands under her neck and behind her knees, lifting her up and carrying her down the hallway. Going down the route she was taking beforehand, he headed towards her bedroom and lied her down on the round bed. Raven whispered out a few incoherent things before turning on her side and resting her eyes shut.

"Good night, Raven. I'll gather the rest of the team in the infirmary," he said professionally.

Raven's head snapped up as she held up her hand to stop him. "No! She says she wants to talk to someone 'human.' If you bring the others around her, who don't look human at all, she'll freak out."

"Okay, then. Thanks for the intel. See ya later."

"Thanks," she yawned out.

Nightwing ran out of the dark room, almost tripping on a dislocated book on the floor on the way out. Raven just lied her head back down on the pillow as the air finally silenced, and everything around her was comfortable enough to enable her what she now needed most— sleep.

**—••••••—**

**Salutations, readers. I sincerely apologize for keeping any of you guys waiting. Well, the ones who stayed with me. You see, teachers are just bombarding me with projects this year. I'll try more to update faster.**

**The wind will sweep me out now until I return. Farewell.**


	5. Flashback No 1

**Ch. 5**

**Disclaimer: I would not be writing these stories down if I owned Teen Titans, I would be airing them. I also do not own any other things I mention.**

**—••••••—**

_Two years ago **[Flashback]**_:

It was all too much. It was slowly catching up to her and tantalizing the living soul in her. The bites of a hundred aches grew like flames in her mind even when surrounded by her many friends. The ache of a hundred yearning desires and wishes to be touched, admired in an affable manner. Not to be detested by another person's good morals— or what they believed to be good morals. All she ever wanted was to be adored and admired. That was it, not to be worshipped or bowed down to by thousands of slaves in rags and ropes. All she wanted was to be praised and complimented by a few people, but even one pleasant comment would get her spirits up and needy levels down. She wasn't asking for sexual contact— no not at all —just for some appraisal. It wasn't too much to ask for just a friendly gesture as to giving gratitude and respect, or even just a smile and nod.

Nightwing sometimes did it, but he was supposed to, he was subjected to do so by the laws he was probably trained by. He was also the leader of the team, it was practically his job to pump some inspiration into his comrades or instill some good spirit into them to keep them going, but that wasn't even enough. He was forced and maneuvered to do that, that was not the kind of attention she wanted or looked for. It was the real and endearing compliments that she ached for from a person. Not schemes planned to drill confidence into her, but ones that occurred at the swirl of the moment, simply spontaneously.

Those kind of wants and wishes bit at her skin now and then. The urge to even touch someone appealed to her once, and it burned even more when she covered herself in her blue cloak. The thought of another being, another's own flesh, another's touch, used to always be revolting and distasteful to her. And now, all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around someone's neck while burying her head into their shoulder like a frightened child. Not just 'someone' though. Preferably a male, but not a specific one. There wasn't one being around her that she'd want to touch, though. They were either a female, too burly, too weak, or too … weird.

One of the most significant and pivotal moments when she actually achieved having someone make contact with her was when she was wrapped in a fiend's arms. Her desire for a person's touch had been distinguished, a feeling of affection had been established in her, and she had thought that that urge for praise would always be wiped away by that person. Well, that was in the past, and Malchior was just another one of life's devious tricks thrown at her. And all it left her was the feeling of a new kind of deep despondency and betrayed feelings and an oath. An oath to never fall into the clutches of a complete stranger, no matter how desperate she was for comfort and contact. And now, the desire was returning for a second serving of skin to skin contact. And this time, it would be even more difficult to satisfy it since there were no males she was interested in or vise versa.

Or, so she thought.

"Hey, Rae."

Beast Boy sank into the black leather of the couch as he addressed her. She ignored his words, but not the slight feeling of his arm resting on the back of the couch, lightly touching the back of her neck. The sensation of tiny painless pricks flamed down her vertebrae and arms, almost making her shiver. She remained engrossed in the black ink on the book under her nose— well, tried to. All she was doing was using reading as a distraction from her thoughts— and obviously, it wasn't working.

The green young man leaned his head over a bit into her space, trying to snag a look at what had her attention. All he saw were straight and squiggly lines conjoined together or spread apart. Just looking at the 'words' were making his eyes hurt and throb. Or was it his brain? Most likely both. It was as if he was trying to read in "Da Vinci Code."

'_Great. She's reading in a foreign language,_' he thought.

"What?" She spoke in biting words, already agitated by his intrusion.

Beast Boy smiled at her and the only thing she saw were big, shiny white teeth. She turned back to her book.

"Whatcha doing?" He asked.

Not taking her stare away from the thick book, Raven arched a brow. "Reading. You should try it sometime."

He frowned. The routine had started already and it was only one o'clock. Usually they would bicker in the later afternoon, not as soon as he woke up. They would playfully insult the other, Raven more than Beast Boy, then one would get annoyed and blow a fuse. And that only resulted to a little argument concerning personal space or complaining about the other not being mature. Either way, the usual routine was of them quarreling over the same two topics each day of the week. Unless, of course, one or the other wasn't around.

"I could say the same thing to you about having fun, Miss Stick-Up-My-Ass," he quipped, folding his arms and sulking into the couch even lower.

"Reading is fun," she replies.

"No it's not. It's just words."

"That's just what an illiterate person would say."

His ears tinted red, as well as his cheeks, in anger and embarrassment. "Hey! I can read and write. I've read some books before," he defended.

"Were they picture books?"

Beast Boy deflated. It was another one of those days when he lost the battle to the dragon. Or witch, or sorceress.

He brightened back up and held his finger up in a gesture of defense. "Maybe, but comic books can be very mature!"

"That depends. In what sense?" She asked indifferently.

"W–what do you mean?"

Raven finally turned to him and looked him in the eye. "There are two types of mature content. Either the perverted kind, or the knowledgable kind."

He looked down. "Um, the knowledgable one? I mean, you can learn a lot of things from comic books! Like … which powers can do what and … some better ways to fight in combat and on missions," he said in an uncertain tone.

"Hmm … interesting."

Beast Boy shook his head like a wet dog would shake his damp fur. "Wait a minute, I was gonna ask you something. You distracted me with reading," he stated.

"Distraction. What a big word," she teased.

He fumed as he sat up straight and faced her. "Stop it! You're getting me off topic."

Raven sighed. She slammed her book shut and turned to him with a bored expression. The 'conversation' they were having was beginning to seem pointless and mindless. And she had a great, hating passion for things that wasted her time for no reason. And right now, Beast Boy's little interaction with her appears to have no intentions whatsoever.

She blinked at him, stoical as ever. "Well?"

Beast Boy rubbed his thumbs together as he tried to form the words in his head. "Well, um, Cyborg is out with Nightwing doing some thing … that doesn't involve me. Starfire is at down town Jump City … which also doesn't involve me."

Raven quirked an eyebrow. Where was he getting at?

"And, uh, I just wanted to know if you'd like to go somewhere with me. Y'know. Out on the town…"

His voice drifted off. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. When he thought through it in his head, it sounded proper and appropriate. Now that it was audible, he's starting to think asking Raven to do something with him was the worst idea ever. She couldn't even stand talking to him, imagine spending the whole day with him.

"No," she said in her usual lackluster.

"What?" He asked a bit incredulously. "You didn't even know what I was gonna say!"

"Really?" She cocked a brow. "Then what were you going to ask?"

"If … um, you wanted to come with me to get a new video game that just got released. Hehe, please?"

Raven gave him a blank stare which he returned with a pleading one. His hands were folded together in a begging way and his knee was merely centimeters away from her thigh, almost touching it. The thought of the contact between them made the level of desire in her higher by a tad. If this thing wasn't controlled then mortals beware. And the fact that his face was a ruler size away, with his bottom lip quivering, wasn't helping her situation at all.

She slightly shifted in the leather couch.

"No."

Beast Boy let his hands flop to his sides, then around her shoulder. His face expression was still as mellow and solemn as before. Raven jumped when his arm wrapped around her neck like that. The very sensation made a dark flame drive down her spine and butterflies reck loose in her stomach. Was this torture ever going to stop?

The next thing that he did was unpredicted, unexpected and unthought of. He had leaned the side of his head on her shoulder, in a way that resembled a sad little dog asking for release. It was a surprise because he had never done this before. No one ever had except for Starfire, but that was different. Why would he? Does he not have a brain in his head? He should know already to not touch her in any way. And any attempts would lead to fatal injuries. She would ensure that.

"Please?" He asked once again.

Raven's eyes narrowed at him from the side. "I said no. Get it through your thick skull."

Beast Boy tightened his grip and squished his cheek against her cheek. Raven was now infuriated, but satisfied, with the skin to skin contact. Her desires were marginally sinking and it only fueled her anger now that she didn't need any touching as much.

"Get off!" She tried shoving him.

"Not until you say yes." He still resisted.

Both of his arms were around her now, positioned awkwardly around her neck from the side, with his cheek squished against hers. Raven's eyes became white and her pupils shrunk into nothing. Adrenaline now surged through her and her defenses were now on the alert.

Raven raised her hands and placed them on his, using her magic to remove them from her. She quickly twisted them, him yelping in slight pain, and pinned him to the flat couch cushions. Her eyes returned to their normal orientation as they narrowed even more at the boy beneath her. A nervous smile crested his lips as he realized he was trapped under her. He tried squirming but her clasp on him only tightened.

"Hehe. Ouch," he winced with the grin still on his face.

She stared at him with angry eyes for a few seconds more before speaking what he had so much trouble understanding. Not only was there not a brain in his head, but common sense must have been the missing trait everyone should have that he must lack.

"I don't want to go anywhere with you, so stop asking."

His expression turned forlorn but that wasn't going to change Raven's decision. He looked over to the side and right then did he realize that he was lying horizontally, with Raven being the one pinning him down. Uneasiness settled into him as a blush stained his cheeks. Why did she have to put them in this awkward position when she just could have thrown him against a wall? Being thrown against a wall would have been a much better thing to do. Much, much better. How was he supposed to escape from under her? Turning into an animal would be futile considering the tight— tightening —grip she had on his forearms. So the only way out there is— or the one he was counting on —was for her to get up and release him. Either that or he would have to verbally tell her to get off, which would be difficult without getting her upset and unnecessarily blaming him for the whole thing.

"Raven, ugh, you're hurting my arms," he complained helplessly.

The unaware woman quickly glanced down to look at the little conflict they had gotten into. Soon enough, the weight of the situation clicked in her head and a small streak of pink outlined her cheeks. Her legs that were so close to straddling his were now settled onto the couch cushion she was previously sitting on. Beast Boy propped himself up by his elbows and tried to speak— without sounding effected in any way from what had happened. He cleared his throat and looked at her, while her gaze was on anywhere but him.

"Sorry," he finally spoke.

"No," she turned to him, "it was my fault. I shouldn't have … tackled you."

"Yeah, but I shouldn't have kept asking."

"True."

He kept staring at her as she reopened the book she was reading before. The awkwardness was still in the air around them and it was getting increasingly difficult to break the silence.

"Um, but I still would very much like the company. Please? We could go wherever you want after the video game store. Anywhere you want."

Raven sighed, tired and exasperated by his begging. "Why do you want me to go?"

Beast Boy smiled— that was definetly better than her rejecting him.

"Because Cyborg and Nightwing are busy and Starfire is … somewhere in the city and I usually go with Cyborg to get video games and since he isn't here, I don't wanna go alone."

"Why didn't you go with Starfire?" She questioned.

He leaned in as if there were eavesdroppers listening in on their conversation. "Because she goes shopping for clothes … in pink stores," he whispered dramatically.

"Fine, I'll go, but we're going to the library after you get your stupid game." She slammed her book closed.

"Yes!" He jabbed his fists in the air in success and then grabbed her hand.

"Let's go, then!"

Beast Boy stood up and pulled her off of the couch and ran out the door, with her dragged behind.

**—••••••—**

_In the Library_:

Raven slipped her fingers over the edge of the books, watching and reading over all of the titles that she passed by all at once. Her mind was cleaned by the relaxed and silent scenery known as the library. The maze of bookshelves that was empty of people— except for her and Beast Boy —only helped soothe her emotions more. Less feelings to sort through meant more ease and relief for her. The library was a rather big building; two stories high, a record of hundreds of tall bookcases, but only had a little number of visitors per day. And that was alright with Raven. Any place that was quiet, had a couple of people, and contained thousands of books was on the list of a few places she liked going to.

Beast Boy, on the other hand, was seated on the carpeted ground sulking in the confines of a graphic book. The comic book was hiding in between two big encyclopedias that was on a stack on a grey cart in the middle of the aisle. It was simply a blessing sent to him— for now, he wasn't going to be bored out of sanity. His eyes were bold with interest and his ears toned out any noise except for his own voice narrating the words on the page. The only thought processed in his head was, '_if this place had more of these I would've came here a long time ago!_'

"Beast Boy," Raven called, her vision still filled with books.

The green boy remained transfixed on the book but muttered under his breath. "… then he trampled onto his foe with more energy to spare …"

"Beast Boy." This time, she turned to look at him.

"… you'll regret that, evil scum …"

"Idiot," she mumbled.

Raising her hand, black static encompassed around the comic book and levitated it high into the air. Beast Boy's hands remained stiff in their position, as if still holding the book, but his stare encountered hers. His eyebrows furrowed.

"Wha–a–at?" He whined.

Raven remained impassive. "We're leaving already."

He scrambled to his feet as soon as he heard 'leaving.' "Wait, wait, wait, wait! Can we, um," he stuttered staring and reaching out for the comic book in Raven's hand, "stay here?"

"Why?" She arched a brow.

He chuckled nervously. "To read."

"You? Want to read?" She asked in disbelief.

This moment was not predicted at all— well, at least for another million years. The day that Beast Boy wants to stay in a library— or as he calls it the 'torture chamber' —and wants to read a book. It's a comic and has pictures, but it's no less of a book. And still a complete surprise. Raven peered down at her own book that she was going to check out and then back at him. The stack of sewn-up papers in her hand did sound like an interesting read. And she could use a few hours away from the reclusive life in the tower. It wasn't a complete bad idea.

How much trouble could she— or most likely Beast Boy —get into in a library. He'd be reading a comic book silently, she'd be reading her own book just as quietly. And it would probably be the only time she'd be able to see the green boy calm and not ricocheting off walls and furniture.

"Fine."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now give me my comic book. Give me, give me, give me!" He jumped.

Raven raised a brow in confusion. "I've never seen you so excited to read a book," she handed the graphic book to him.

**—••••••—**

"She is so hot," Beast Boy said out loud.

"Mm," Raven replied numbly.

The duo was currently sitting on the ground on opposite sides of a long bookcase aisle on the second floor, reading their preferred book choices. It was starting to get late into the afternoon as they have been there for nearly two hours. Beast Boy was down onto his third comic book with his interest still at its peak and enough energy spared for a couple of hours. His eyes were tired, but to an extent. He would be able to keep them open for hours without blinking on end— considering the amount of time he spends in front of a television screen. But never had he been so intent, so transfixed by unmoving pieces of paper.

Throughout their time at the library, neither had spoken. Their thoughts were absent, and the only things upholding movement in their minds were the narrating voices of the books in their heads. It would've sounded pretty normal, but Beast Boy pretended to have Morgan Freeman narrate the comic book in his imagination.

"This woman is probably the only person that can turn me on," he continued absentmindedly.

Raven snorted at the random comment. "As if— any physical appearance of a woman could turn you on."

He shook his head in disagreement. "Nope— just her. I mean, you have to admit, she's really hot; the toned legs, the awesome hair, her gorgeous upper body, and her badass personality. She's the complete package," he daydreamed.

"She's a fictional character," she pointed out.

Beast Boy countered his gaze with hers, his eyes blank. "And water is an element."

Raven furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "That's irrelevant and random."

He shrugged. "I thought we were just stating facts."

She shook her head in a disapproving manner. "You're such an idiot."

"That's not a fact! But you gotta admit," he climbed next to her and shoved the comic book in her face, "she is pretty hot."

She groaned in agitation and annoyance. "Ugh, I bet any woman can stimulate you."

He denied her the satisfaction of being right. "You're wrong. You just can't stand the fact that you can't be able to turn me on," he stated confidently.

"Oh, please. As if I'd want to turn you on," she scoffed.

Beast Boy jiggled his eyebrows at her, suggestively. "You can try."

Raven placed her hand on his shoulder and tried to push him away to put space between them. She was getting too uncomfortable with him practically breathing on her face. And having this conversation with him did not ease her buzzing nerves at all. All it did was arouse trouble amongst her desire levels.

"Why would I want to do that?"

"To try to prove your point that any woman can turn me on— which none can. Well, not from the real world."

Beast Boy moved right back where he was before she pushed him away, breathing down on her face like a hungry animal. It was a strange feeling, to say the least. To have someone as close to you as your own skin, exhaling into your personal space as if conjoined since birth. It was stimulating and a bit eccentric, in a slight good way— but she'd never admit that.

"I don't care for that," she said bluntly.

"Fine," he backed away a few inches, much to her relief. "Let's reverse it. Can you be turned on by a guy?"

A blush outlined her cheeks as she responded. "Not in a hundred years."

That was a lie and she knew it. Just earlier she wanted someone to touch her, to feel admiration from a person. But that doesn't mean she was turned on everyday. She wasn't some desperate housewife that jumped on her husband every time he came home from work. With a loose tie and slick hair marginally ruffled. She wasn't desperate— yet. And just hearing Beast Boy say that she felt … needy was a complete insult— and coincidence.

Beast Boy laughed in her face. "Ring, ring, ring! The future called, they called "**B.S.**"."

Raven went back to her book and shook her head. They were becoming a bit too old for these petty jokes and wits that belonged to a five-year old. But she wouldn't expect anything else from him— it was simply Beast Boy's nature to act like a moron. "Immature."

An idea popped into his already turning mind as he chuckled. It was a devious, yet a more-than affable approach. He knew he could get sent through the gates of Hell if he carried it out— to say the least. It would be like crossing over red hot barriers and boundaries and spitting on them. It would basically be him breaking all of her unspoken rules and shoving her out of her comfort zone. It was too diabolical and too intelligent-proof. It was too dumb to be even thought of as sensible. It was too … Beast Boy.

Through all of his years going through the 'Raven Experience' he was still numb to all of the agitated sygnals. Him and every warning she pointed towards him, such as 'shut up' or 'leave me alone,' went right past each other like two ships in the night— unintelligible of the other. And every warning Nightwing or Cyborg gave him, such as 'leave her alone' and 'cut it out,' went through one ear, trampled his brain and exited out the other ear— without him even noticing. The proof of this is whenever he gets physically hurt from pushing Raven's buttons a bit too much.

Beast Boy grinned widely. This was going to be one of those moments. Those 'I'm going to die, but that's alright because I'm a superhero' moments. The ones that when he's in trouble, he could always rely on an animal he can transform into to get him out. So if Raven decides to murder him right then and there, a microscopic germ would be the best thing to turn into.

Beast Boy put a rather confident arm around Raven's neck and brought his mouth a hair away from her cheek. His breath bounced against her face and back to him in a teasing manner. A noticeable shudder flamed down her spine as she realized what he was trying to do. The book in her hands slightly trembled in sync with her shaking grip. Her stare remained fixed on a thick red book in the bookcase in front of her— just to refrain from looking him in the eyes.

"Wh–what are you doing?" She stuttered out.

"I know you want me," he whispered heavily in her now pink ears.

Her head slowly shook in disagreement. He was just messing with her. He was just joking around. This is another one of his messed up pranks. It has to be.

Beast Boy decided to tone it up a notch and delicately ran a finger up her thigh suggestively— which to she shivers at. He clicked his tongue in disapproval, in a mocking manner.

"Wearing no pants. What a tease."

Finding her previously lost voice, Raven spoke up. "Beast Boy, I swear to the very gods that made your skull as thick as your ego, that I will rip you to shreds if you don't get away right now," she threatened through chained teeth and sealed eyes.

Beast Boy took the threat lightly and sniggered in a way that seemed too suggestive to be friendly. "Sounds … kinky."

The levels and whims of desires in her rose and fell rapidly as she tried to maintain control. The need to touch, feel, and hug bulged in her head and senses. If he didn't stop anytime sooner than two minutes, she was going to loose her dignity and give into her urges. And that would be a tale she did not want Beast Boy to live through to tell.

"I'm serious. Get away," she warned for the tenth time.

He leaned closer into her ear and muttered, "I can hear your heart beat going crazy."

That did it. When Raven unsealed her eyes, her irises were dusted with dark clouds and they stared at the green boy. Since she had turned her head, their lips were no more than a hair follicle apart, making it his turn to blush. Raven revolved her body and leaned forward on her hands and knees, making Beast Boy lean backwards. His face was now shocked as he stared at the now courageous and unembarrassed girl that was practically on top of him. He fell back on his elbows— them being the only things holding him up now.

"Raven?" He questioned.

Without any words slipping from her mouth, she soundlessly pressed her lips onto his and closed her eyes. Beast Boy shrieked in surprise with his lips still covered by hers. Before he could do anything, Raven located her hands on the back of his head and pulled him closer— aggressively. She scratched at his scalp with her slightly sharp fingernails and he grunted in satisfaction. His eyes soon closed as he soon forgot who he was kissing and on what terms they were on. He hesitantly started to kiss back but not as much as her, considering she wasn't technically in control of what she was doing. All her body was doing was carrying out her desires— and she didn't want that.

Raven soon came out of the dazed state she was forced into and reopened her eyes. The strange thing about the situation she just woke up to wasn't that she was on top of Beast Boy, but that they were kissing. On the library floor for all public eyes to see— even if no one was around.

She pushed his chest and they separated, both breathing erratically. "Beast Boy. What are we doing?"

His character was as confused as she was even though he was awake the whole time. "You–you don't know? You kissed me."

"That's impossible. I'd never kiss you," she said as she sat back down.

The smug grin returned to his lips. "I told you I could turn you on."

The red streaking her cheeks brightened. "You did not!"

"Keep telling yourself that."

Raven groaned. "Can we just go home already?"

"Sure," he smiled.

"Thank you."

The two picked up each of their books and silently made it down to the first floor. After paying for the purchases, they exited the library and began to make it back home. The smirk on Beast Boy's lips never ceased to recede and that annoyed Raven more than the random kissing scene they had back in the library. It wasn't that big of an accomplishment— it didn't even mean anything. To her it didn't.

"By the way," he said in a teasing tone that indicated that he would never let this incident go. "You're a good kisser."

**—••••••—**

**Salutations, readers. This is a longer chapter and was a bit easier to write for some reason. I got a lot of reviews for the last chapter! That's awesome! Thank you so much!**

**This chapter was just a filler as to how this "Flirting Game" started. From where I ended this, it just spirals down from there. You think I should make more flashback moments they had together? Eh.**

**The wind will sweep me** **out now until I return. Farewell.**


	6. The Side Effect

**Ch. 6**

**Disclaimer: I would not be writing these stories down if I owned Teen Titans, I would be airing them. I also do not own any other things I mention.**

**!HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!**

**—••••••—**

It was not only a dull pain or just a numb feeling of a stab, it was inner and pervasive. It never really just struck one place, it was more like just a gas of hurt that spread throughout his body like a virus. The painful ache of loneliness and despondency, only caused by the cheating actions of an unfaithful lover. Even though they weren't romantically involved, the wound's sting still felt the same. And although it was not her actions that turned his heart to grey ashes and dust, instead, it was the words she had said, it only poured salt onto the infected scar. To be called names and to be threatened were a part of his daily routine as a superhero— and a green shifter. But for it to come from the mouth and vocals of the very person that uncovered the feelings of love in him, it hurt. He used to think that her leaving him without a goodbye was the worst pain he would ever endure. Then he thought that it was the pain of her trying to kill him and the team. Then it was her leaving him for Slade. Now? Now he knew that her forgetting who he was, who she was, and what they used to be was greater than any pain he felt after any fight he had lost. Her calling him what he tried so much to ignore was just the bullet to the gun.

He was already over that bridge, already turned over a new leaf— over and done with it. All of those fights with his insecurities were for just one reason— just like all wars have causes and goals. His inner ordeal was because he wanted to forget the bad parts in his past that didn't help shape his present. The goal? The goal was to feel happier and light-weight. All of the negative feelings and thoughts only simmered some of his optimistic ones, and he needed those. Those pleasant representations of his self esteem kept him from beating himself up all of the time. From being swallowed by madness, from depression, from anger. Being feared and looked down upon was something he had lived through with himself since the accident concerning his skin pigment and abilities. He became a despondent young man because of the names and labels that were branded on him by people. To this day they are partly fresh and serve as a memory. Those inner battles with himself— during the corny jokes and facades —were to make those labels strengthen him. Not to show others that he was indeed the monstrosity that the people had thought he was, but the good person that dealt with it. Because he was a hero.

But this time, even after all of the years of him trying to deal with it and succeeding, it stung the most. It was, by far, the most unwelcome situation he had been unprepared for. It sucked the blood and soul from him. Like how a leech will feed on its host; slowly and boldly, without a care. But the only difference was that it took steps and procedures for the pain to be instilled into him. Like when you get hit by a gun's bullet, there are mostly three automatic procedures to how things would go.

_The slap of surprise_ …

"What are you?" She had questioned.

What had she meant by that? Was that a joke? If it was, then that was a devious little bit to trigger laughter. He knew that she did indeed possess the capability of serious humor, but all of the jokes that landed under that category were feigned. This one seemed all too real to be faked and acted out. But this was Terra, right? The one who shared the same laughs and joys with him.

_The notice of impact_ …

"Why are you green?" She had asked with a tremulous voice, almost in fear.

No. Was she–? No. She was not seriously questioning his appearance when she had seen him only a million times. It couldn't be. It was just another part to the script she created for the joke. It had to be. But then again, why would he feel this tightening sensation in his throat? This feeling of anxiety gripping at his inner flesh as if he was a plush toy. The pure feeling of breaking down before knowing the whole truth.

_The trials of agony_ …

"Get away from me, you freak!" She had exclaimed while pushing herself further back into the pillow.

Yes. There it was, drowning in all of its blatant and unruly ugly glow. The truth to what this sick, twisted joke was. But that was just it; there was no joke. There was no humor. There really was no good intention stationed behind all of it. She had basically just insulted and questioned what he was. And the clenching and inner groping of his internal organs was beginning to become his "most likely cause of death." Tears had flushed into his eyes and his nose had become raw.

There had definitely been partial familiarity swimming in his mind when those lines had reached his senses. People running in fear, confusion, experimenting. All of it was what he had went through before the "Titans." But those people didn't matter, because they didn't understand. On the other hand, the person that had repeated those lines used to be familiar with his appearance. Used to be his best friend. And now, his 'best friend' is scared of him just because he had fangs and green skin. Never had she been frightened or terrified by him before, why now? Was she a completely different person since he last saw her years ago? Most likely; she probably didn't even remember where or what her true origin is. Much less who was there with her. And who had helped her through the dustiest corners of her insecurities.

Beast Boy huffed in sorrow and rubbed his moist eyes and then his still throbbing throat. The tugging had never ceased and now acted more like a pulse than a feeling or sensation. He could not say— or even think —that Terra's degrading words had not killed him and his high spirit. The spirit that was raised when Nightwing had come into the common room and announced the awakening of the blond woman. He had been ecstatic. He had inwardly told Raven that she was right; for she kept telling him that Terra would wake up eventually. He had inwardly thanked her for helping him through the crushing wait for her arise. But that was before it happened. Before the agonizing words were thought of and before he felt the hurt of a slowly dying love flower.

The sun peeking up among the trees seemed like the totally wrong scenery for the mood in the tower's residents. Cheery and bright just didn't match up with distant and quiet. The "opposites attract" quote didn't fit in this kind of dilemma. His movement reached an abrupt standstill as he felt the sudden change in his surrounding. His ears shivered a bit and his eyes darted from one side to the other, testing the different territory. The source was near and closely around, but far in the same way. Soon enough, the identification of it was labeled. Or more precisely, _they_ are identified.

In favor of spontaneity, anger bit into his systems and were targeted on her. It was aimed at the person that knew this would happen. Knew that his heart would be ripped out and be beaten with it. But truthfully, only a portion of his anger was pointed towards her. The other half being held in a box for Terra. Beast Boy gripped his fists and chained his teeth together and marginally turned his head sideways, only enabling himself to see the shadow.

"You knew," he bit out in a choked voice. "You knew, but didn't come to warn me. Hell, you didn't even come to see me first when she woke up. Nightwing was your first choice."

Silence and the whistling wind.

"Why? You knew that I was practically _dying_ to see her. To see those blue eyes that holds the happiness she feels. Well, used to hold, anyway."

Once again, there was nothing but the breeze of the morning. Nothing of her voice was recorded, angering him even further.

"Gah! I feel like I'm talking to a wall! Speak to me. Why aren't you justifying yourself like you always do? Proving yourself like you always do? And proving me wrong like you always do." He questioned while tears trailed down his cheeks.

"Why, why, why, why?" He bounced his forehead onto his fists repeatedly. "Do you enjoy seeing me like this? Do you enjoy being right all the time? Being right about this girl … this girl not being Terra?"

All of his thoughts and feelings were just blubbering out of his mouth unauthorized and sounding like a total mess. He was insinuating things, admitting things, and asking rhetorical questions. Some questions that Raven had the answer and explanation to, but he just would not shut up. All of the rambling was like adding a hundred-pound anvil on her headache. First, it was the fatigue of waking up Terra. Then, it was dealing with Nightwing and how he ignored her and brought the team to Terra. Now, it was Beast Boy and all of his negative emotions and tirades. She really did not need all of this stress. Even if she had lived through the end of the world and back.

"She is Terra," Raven finally spoke.

He fully turned to see all of her and became frustrated. "No. That's what everyone keeps on telling me: "that is Terra" or "Terra's back." No. I know that … thing isn't Terra," he pointed away from himself.

Raven arched a brow. ""Thing"? She's a human being. Your best friend, if I can recall correctly."

"No," he shook his head. "She's no friend of mine."

Raven levitated over to him and sat down on thin air beside him. She looked over at him and placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort.

"She doesn't have her memory. But that doesn't mean that she isn't any less of your … 'special' friend," she said hesitantly.

Beast Boy gazed into her eyes, accusing them and their owners. "Yeah, but you knew. You knew that she wouldn't remember, and you knew that she was awake and didn't tell me. You went to Nightwing instead!"

Raven opened her mouth to say something but he cut her off. "No, let me finish. I sort of understand why you would go to Nightwing, he's the leader, and all. But you _knew_ that I was dying waiting for her. I shared my _pain _with you. What's next, that you're actually the one who woke her up, too?"

Raven gulped and readied herself for the upcoming explosion of green anger. "I was– … I'm the one who went into her head and … woke her up."

Beast Boy groaned into his hands and scratched his scalp in aggravation. "What else are you hiding from me about this situation?"

"Look, let me just explain why I didn't tell you first. Please?"

His character turned impassive and indifferent as he exhaled audibly. "Yeah, whatever. It's not like I have any other place for pain to take over."

She breathed deeply. "I had the first conversation with her. She didn't even remember me, or how she came to the tower. Beast Boy, she's never seen superheroes before, so she's used to humans. Human abilities and appearances. That's why I called Nightwing, he's the only one on the team that wouldn't frighten her."

Beast Boy's expression changed into a pained one and he winced and shivered. "She called me a freak. To get away from her."

Raven remained silent and stared out to the horizon ahead. She knew that this would eventually happen. That he would get hurt again when Terra would wake up. It was another one of those nagging feelings she got when her instincts would tingle in anticipation. She had an instinctive urge to wake her up for him, but another part of her mind didn't agree so much. It seems safe to say that her instincts won, but were wrong.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"Why?" He turned to her.

She encountered gazes with him and saw his whole world caving from the inside-out once again. "For bringing her back."

"Don't," he stared back at the ground. "You did the right thing— the 'Titan thing'."

"Yes, but not the 'Friend thing'," she continued to look at him, study him.

A round of silence trampled down on their space and Beast Boy began to cry all over again. His wails only reached her ears when she would actually strain to listen— and they just broke her heart in two. The inner and mental pain he was feeling spread throughout his body and out of him. The angry and sour emotions he was feeling turned to Raven and scram at her instead. He was fighting for control but the fact of Terra not liking him back in any way was eating at him twice as fast. The only thing that was probably keeping him together in one piece was his unharmed anatomy— even if his bones hurt too.

The duo remained on top of the roof like two lone rocks until sunset; immobile and unresponsive. The need or urge to uphold their clean hygiene surprisingly did not come to them. The need to stand up and stretch did not appeal to them. The need to try to mend things did not fit in the picture— everything was too broken for some people. The need to eat was ignored and not acknowledged. The need for sleep was fought and battled until unbearable. It was just silence and sitting still until night came and told everyone to go home. Raven had always wanted that from Beast Boy before, but once again, she was wishing against that now. It seemed overrated and unfit.

The two were in their own rooms, now having gone to sleep after spending the whole day together. The piles of clothes and dirty things scattered around his room were looking like the shadows of monsters to him now— like how Terra had said —and he buried himself more into the blanket. The large bookcases and stone statues established neatly inside the room appeared to be talking to her— reminding her of what she did —and she turned away from them. The two didn't want to face any of the things that seemed to be mocking them in their own ways. It was just a matter of time before they reached the much needed confines of sleep and total darkness. It was then that their bodies relaxed and slumped into the mattresses they rested on. It was then that that would be the only real time they could feel and be utterly peaceful.

**—••••••—**

She smiled and moved the blond hair behind her ear. The man in black and blue in front of her chuckled in response to his own punch line. The room was still as dim as ever but the two could still see the other's smile when it bloomed. One might have been feigned and programmed to do that, but the other was sincere and unplanned. Nightwing looked her over, making sure that this girl was indeed Terra. The hair was right, the eyes were right, and the laugh was right. Nothing was out of the ordinary except for her memory. No pain was felt in her, no tears were shed, and no questions were asked. She didn't know how she came to she tower, and that annoyed him. But making her feel comfortable and at home was the best option at the moment. Then she would feel easy and not frightened around the others of the team.

"So," he started. "Do you go to school?"

"Yeah. I'm in my second year of college," she said with a smile.

"Ah, where are your parents?" He asked in a friendly interrogation voice.

"Um," she paused. "They're–they're at home."

"You still live with them?" He raised a brow.

"Y–yeah! I mean, I love my folks. I just hardly see them because of all the school work I get toppled with, y'know."

"Interesting. Do you live in a rich house or an old house?" He questioned.

"Um, old, I guess. It's a bit rusty but sustainable," Terra said.

He narrowed his eyes at her seriously. "Terra. You know that I work with the authorities and that you lying to me would be like lying to the police, right?"

She exhaled loudly and toyed with her thumbs. "I know."

"Then do you have something to say?"

"Yes," she sighed.

"Aha, go on then. Tell me the whole truth."

Nightwing turned around in his chair and faced the door where he knew Cyborg was standing behind. He nodded and motioned for him to take notes while everything was spilt and confessed. The two men had always known that she was lying. Knew that she was lying about everything she had said.

"The truth is that … I don't know anything. I don't know how I came to high school, how I turned sixteen, or how I came to this … tower of freaks. I'm sorry if I say that but you're the only one who's normal here."

Nightwing's lips twitched upward. "We're not freaks— we're superheroes. And I'm one of them, even if I don't look like it."

"How?"

"And you used to be one," he dropped the bomb.

A laugh escaped Terra's mouth as she heard his ridiculous statement. Her? A superhero? That was more absurd than the people living in this tower. She was just a normal— human —college student that was in an unknown location. There was nothing special about her. She could not control the shadows and float on air or change her skin green or shoot green lights out of her hands. That was not her in any way. Maybe in her dreams she did that, but never had she seen that in real life. Was this real life? Was she dreaming right now? Was she in school, drooling all over her homework?

"You don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a regular human girl," she spoke defiantly.

Nightwing shook his head in disagreement. "No. You're wrong. You don't even know your own parents, what makes you think that being a superhero wasn't your past life? The life you don't remember."

"I– … I wouldn't want to be with you guys, anyways. I know I'm not one of you. I can feel it. I'm just a normal student that is missing too much school."

Nightwing stood up and the stool he was sitting on screeched behind him. His face showed indifference, unlike the character she had come to know in the last two days. He left the room without any other words except for the ones that sent icy flames up her spine:

"I'll get you ready to head home in the morning."

Cyborg watched it all go down and nodded towards Nightwing as he came through the door.

"What did you get down?" The masked hero asked.

Cyborg looked down at his small computer and back up. "Amnesia. Twice."

**—••••••—**

**IMPORTANT: I might not update this for a while because I want to finish my other story "The Bond." **

**Salutations, readers. Sorry this was late. I fainted on Wednesday and rode an ambulance to the hospital. Turns out I have the flu. Just fabulous. Well, tomorrow is my birthday! Yay! Happy birthday to me. That will be all.**

**The wind will sweep me out now until I return. Farewell.**


End file.
